London Marathon 2026: Everything you need to know

Thousands of runners are gearing up to take on the London Marathon this weekend as the 26.2-mile race returns.

The race is the world's biggest annual one-day fundraising event, and this year there will be plenty of celebrities, pros as well as amateur runners on the start line.

So when is the marathon, what is the route and who's running?

Read on to find out!

The main event takes place on Sunday 26 April.

The first wave of runners will head off at about 09:30, continuing until 11:30 with gaps in between to make sure the the runners aren' crowded.

On Saturday 25th April it's the mini marathon where schools who have applied for some of their students to take part can run the last mile or so of the official route.

The London Marathon is a gruelling 26.2 miles in length and will take runners all over the capital.

The route itself is very similar to the one that was used in the first London Marathon back in 1981.

It begins at Greenwich Park and ends on The Mall, where runners will cross the finishing line near Buckingham Palace.

It takes in several famous London landmarks, including Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, The Elizabeth Tower which is home to Big Ben.

The 2025 London Marathon set a new record for the number of people to finish.

In total, more than 56,000 people took part in the 26.2-mile London Marathon that year, but more than 59,000 runners will be lacing up in 2026, with loads running for lots of different charities.

This year the event hit 1,133,813 ballots for entry, which is a new world record! And there will be plenty of stars running too.

Cynthia Erivo, aka Elphaba from Wicked has been training hard for race day. This is the second time she will run the London Marathon.

Daddy Pig, of the Peppa Pig family, is running in aid of the National Deaf Children's Society with Joe Wicks.

Former Arsenal and England Captain Tony Adams and cycling royalty Dame Laura Kenny will also be on the startline.